1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an eyestay ornament for attaching to the eyestays or laces on footwear, and more particularly to an ornament having a pivotable mounting to enable the multi-sided marquee to be easily turned to display a different side and design.
2. Background of the Invention
Footwear has long served both functional and aesthetic purposes. Shoes and shoe laces have been the focus of designers in creating various aesthetic impressions. Athletic shoes in particular have also been the focus of creative designs using colors, textures, different materials to convey a desired visual impression. Many shoes also incorporate certain color combinations, trademarks, logos, numbers, and other indicia to communicate a brand, a source, a team affiliation, a famous athlete's name or jersey number, characters, or the like. All parts of athletic shoes including the shoe upper, midsole, outsole and the tongue and laces are used by designers to express a distinct impression and to present brand identifying logos or words.
The strong design emphasis on branded athletic footwear has resulted in some consumers' desire to contribute to the look of the shoes they are wearing, and in some manufacturers' desire to provide customizable features for the wearer. One category of prior art includes patents that disclose ways of changing the appearance of the shoe upper by way of changeable display panels or the like incorporated into the shoe uppers. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0016032 to Cox et al. discloses a changeable stripe for footwear that can be applied to any segment of a shoe. The changeable stripe enables the wearer to alter the appearance of the shoe. U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,948 to Mitchell discloses an insertable patch or emblem attached by way of hook and loop fasteners to the upper of a shoe to change the appearance of footwear as desired. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,557 to Reid et al. discloses a releasable magnetic display panel that can be attached to a shoe upper.
In laced shoes, the laced area allows the opening to spread for a wearer's foot to enter the shoe, and closes the opening about the foot to secure the shoe. In a laced shoe, a lace is inserted and generally woven back and forth through eyelets or eyestays disposed in opposing relation to one another across the opening. A tongue generally lays under the lace to protect the instep of the foot. In athletic shoes where a snug fit is desired, the tongue may have a stay disposed along its length for reception of a portion of the lace. Shoe designers have included the tongue and laces of a shoe in the overall design. For example, various color combinations of laces or uniquely designed eyelets or hidden eyelets have been used as part of athletic shoe designs.
Another category of prior art includes patents that are directed to features on the tongue or laces of a shoe to provide some variability in appearance. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0172853 to Tonkel discloses a rotatable tongue for footwear that is attached by a pivot pin and presents various coloration and design on sections of the tongue. The rotatable tongue may be coupled with an upper having upper quarter openings to reveal more of the shoe tongue and present different designs. U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,096 to Bar discloses a separate shoe tongue positioner that secures the tongue of the shoe while providing a rigid base for an upper surface display. The base is mounted through the tongue of the shoe with tacks. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0163285 to Johnson discloses a pouch that attaches to the top of the instep area to contain the ends of the shoelaces. The pouch can include a logo or design on the top surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,198 to Schweitzer discloses an ornamental attachment for mounting on laced footwear having a flat face member display and a narrow strip of flexible sheet material extending underneath the flat face member. The laces of the shoe extend in the space between the display member and the strip of material. U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,459 to Davidson discloses elongated tubular members each having a frontal surface to display an alpha and/or numeric character or design. The tubular members are strung on the laces of footwear, and resemble beads which together can spell out a desired message with the frontal surfaces are decorated with letters. An alternative embodiment comprises a tubular body member with a frontal surface that extends laterally beyond the tubular portions. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0046476 to Snyder discloses footwear having an elongated tongue that folds over the eyelet area and presents an upwardly facing surface. This surface of the tongue has a pocket with a transparent panel provided therein in which an indicia bearing card can be inserted. The card can present a team logo or identification information for the owner of the shoe. The appearance of the shoe of Snyder can be customized by changing the card in the pocket.
There is recognition in the prior art that people like to customize the appearance of their shoes, and in the case of athletic shoes, being able to alter coloration or change logos may be essential for team apparel. Some of the drawbacks of prior art attempts to provide customizable ornaments to shoes include (i) the use of specially designed shoes; (ii) the need to alter shoes; (iii) providing a single display surface; (iv) overly complex structures; or (v) time-consuming installation of the ornaments on shoes due to overly complex designs. There exists a need to provide a shoe ornament that is interchangeable from shoe to shoe; is simple to install on the shoe; provides multiple surfaces for displaying colors, logos, graphics or other indicia; and provides for easy change of display surfaces.